LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The state Senate on Friday rejected a measure that would have made it harder for people to get their proposals on the Arkansas ballot — a plan that was opposed by an unlikely alliance of liberal and conservative activists.

The proposal would have made it more difficult for ballot campaigns to win more time to circulate petitions. If approved by the Legislature, the measure would have appeared on next year’s ballot as a proposed amendment to the state constitution. The Senate rejected it on an 11-13 vote.

Currently, ballot campaigns can receive an extra 30 days to circulate their petitions if the secretary of state’s office finds that they don’t have enough valid signatures. Under the proposal, at least 90 percent of signatures submitted by ballot campaigns would have to be valid in order to be granted the 30-day extensions.

Sen. Bill Sample, the sponsor of the proposed amendment, said the move was needed in response to a high number of invalid signatures that were submitted for casino and severance tax proposals that supporters tried to get on the ballot last year.

“It will save us, in my opinion, a lot of money and save the secretary of state’s office a lot of work” Sample, R-Hot Springs, told the Senate.

But the measure faced opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the conservative Arkansas Family Council, groups that are normally opposed on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. The groups argued that the move would make it nearly impossible for citizens to get proposals in front of voters.

The Arkansas AFL-CIO, which is considering putting a proposal on the ballot next year to raise the state’s minimum wage, also opposed the move.

Lawmakers who rejected the change echoed those complaints.

“I think this would make it very hard for citizens to be able to petition their government,” said Sen. Johnny Key, R-Mountain Home.

Sample said he hopes to try again with the proposal and was looking at potentially changing the measure.

The Senate did give the OK to a different amendment Friday, voting 32-1 to refer to voters a measure that would give lawmakers the ability to require that agencies’ administrative rules receive legislative approval before taking effect. That proposal now heads to the House.

The sponsor of a third proposal focusing on campaign finance and ethics rules asked the Senate to refer the measure back to a committee so he can make changes. That proposal would refer to voters a constitutional amendment that would restrict corporate campaign contributions and gifts, extend term limits and establish a commission to set the pay for elected officials. The House approved the amendment last week.